President Dr. Irfaan Ali presented a security strategy using the acronym ‘HITLIST’ during his address at the 39th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), currently underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
HITLIST outlines several pillars to be addressed during the conference to strengthen the Caribbean region’s security and crime fighting efforts, such as H for Human capital, I for Infrastructure, T for Technology, L for Legislation, I for Intelligence, S for Systems and T for Training.
“We must agree that we face a human capital challenge in the region,” President said during his remarks. And so, he called for better working conditions, including housing, respectful work environments, and greater access to training and education to retain and grow talent within Caribbean police forces.
The 39th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), currently underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
On infrastructure, the President emphasised the importance of strategic regional investments. He announced Guyana’s plans to build a state-of-the-art forensic facility, equipped with the latest technology and training support, to serve not just Guyana but the entire region.
Technology was also discussed with the Head of State highlighting the need for the use of technology across borders to support intelligence gathering and real-time data sharing.
This brings legislation into the picture.
“How do we develop an infrastructure in the region that allows easier sharing of information, more proactive sharing of information, this leads to legislation the L,” the President explained.
He revealed that Attorney Generals in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have been tasked with reviewing regional laws related to crime and public safety, with a view towards seamless legal cooperation across jurisdictions.
And this is where various systems comes in.
“One of the main reasons the public express trust and dissatisfaction issue is the level of human impact on the systems itself,” President Ali said.
The 39th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), currently underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
He added, “In the region there is also complete reliance on human intervention and input at every level of policing. This system must change to have human as the backbone but technology as the frame.”
Finally, President Ali talked about training as the last pillar of HITLIST.
Specifically highlighting India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), which offers free training in cutting-edge fields, the President challenged the commissioners present at the conference to take full advantage of it.
“I can champion this for you. Get the applications in and I am telling you, I will take a personal interest in ensuring I follow-up on all applications coming from the region under the ITEC programme,” President Ali pledged.
The 39th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), currently underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
He also urged the police commissioners to take time to examine the HITLIST as he further mentioned Guyana’s plans for a Regional Police Academy with internationally certified programmes.
Meanwhile, the President further spoke about the harmful consequences of using crime as a tool for political gain as well as glorifying crime.
“The politicising of crime and criminality and the glorification of crime and criminality, now this may sound uneasy in this room but when political actors and architecture see crime as an opportunity for political puppeteering it becomes dangerous,” he said.
Stressing that crime should be recognised for what it is, the President called for a unified approach in dealing with crime.
“Crime and criminality is not an opportunity to get into government or is not an opportunity to beat the system, because it affects all of us and if our interest is in the development of countries and our economies then we have to do what is right wherever we sit or stand,” the Head of State said.
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